


Diary of a Fire God

by masli



Category: Original Work
Genre: Angels, Astaroth - Freeform, BL, Cat/Human Hybrids, Demons, Fire God, God of Chaos, God(dess) of Mischief, Gods, Lashy, M/M, Magical Creatures, PNR, Paranormal, Paranormal Romance, Ren - Freeform, Slaves, Yaoi, cat boy, m/m - Freeform, neko
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-28
Updated: 2019-05-12
Packaged: 2019-12-25 23:52:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 17,128
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18271631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/masli/pseuds/masli
Summary: A bored Fire God. A Neko under attack.When the odd couple run into each other by accident, Astaroth's life is not the same anymore. But will the boy bring peace and calm or chaos to his organized world?





	1. Chapter 1 - A faithful meeting

**Chapter 1**

 

Astaroth had already fed and was meandering the streets to stave off boredom and delay his return to the gloomy room in the tavern with its grating noise. There was a time when he would have welcomed the noise. When he would have sat at the bar and watched the crowd. Take part in it even. His long fiery red hair, bright red eyes, and striking features attracting more than enough willing partners, either to feed from or to satisfy his lust. Neither mutually exclusive.

But these days, the drunken crowds no longer amused him with its silly human antics. He was bored and had been for years now. It wouldn’t be much of a worry if it was only the human realm that bored him. But over the years none of the realms were able to chase away this unrest in him; This growing darkness inside of him.

His family and friends said he had gotten too soft and advised him to get a few slaves to keep him entertained. He tried, but torture had never been a favorite pastime of his, and he soon tired of them and he had sold them again.

 

And so, he roamed the streets of this settlement in the human realm. He was about to head back to the tavern when the loud clanging of falling crates made his sensitive ears cringe. Boisterous laughter and taunts accompanied the noise—the unmistaken sounds of a fight. For a fleeting moment, he considered joining in on the action, if only as a means for a distraction, but he didn’t have the energy to do so. Humans were far too weak to provide any real diversion. He had already turned around when he heard the small yelps. For a moment he thought he imagined it, but when he was about to continue on his path again, he heard it again; The panicked yelps and hissing of what sounded like a cat to most ears. But his sensitive ears told him something else, and it piqued his interest enough to cloak himself in shadows and enter the alley.

His ears hadn’t been playing tricks on him. At the far end of the foul-smelling alley, cornered by a group of local young men, was a frail looking boy trying to make himself disappear between crates. But it wasn’t a human boy.  _ A Neko. How rare. _ He thought to himself as his eyes roved the pair of now flattened feline ears and twitching tail, giving away the far more exotic heritage of the boy.

 

Neko’s were semi-magical creatures that looked human but sported feline ears, a feline tail, and various degrees of feline character traits. Without exception, they were all beautiful creatures and, as far as magical creatures go, harmless and easily overpowered—even by humans. It made them ideal prey in the eyes of both humans and magical beings. The result was that most Neko’s had been hunted down and abused, or were turned into domesticated sex slaves.

This Neko didn’t look much older than a teenager, but Astaroth knew he was probably older than he looked—A Neko trait. The boy was dressed in rags hanging on his emaciated frame. As he moved a little closer, he could see more scabbed over wounds on the boy, making him an even easier target.

By then the thugs had grabbed the boy and were pinning him to the ground, their intentions clear. Before Astaroth realized what he was doing, he stepped out of the shadows and killed the thug standing closest to him with one hard shove against the nearest building, cracking his skull like an egg.

His friends barely had time to comprehend what was happening before they ended in a similar fashion. Astaroth wiped off his hands before stepping over their bodies towards the boy. When the little Neko didn’t move, he turned him on his back, only to find the little thing passed out. He stroked the boy’s long bangs from his face and was captivated by the sheer beauty of him. He frowned though when he noticed the warmth on his hand as he brushed his forehead. The boy had a fever and his breathing was shallow. He scooped the wretched thing up in his arms before wrapping him in his cloak. His frown deepened as his weight registered—the poor thing barely weighed anything. He hurried back to the tavern, not even giving a second look to the bodies he left behind. 

 

***

 

Once back in his room, Astaroth laid the boy on the bed and ordered the maid to send up food and milk. As soon as she left again, he unwrapped the boy from his cloak and pulled him in his arms before pressing his palm against the boy’s chest. He let his energy build up and pour it into the boy’s form. As soon as his magic entered the thin frame, he could sense the irregularities in the frail body indicating injuries. Pressing a little harder to push even more energy in to heal the wounds, he wondered why on earth he was wasting his magic on a boy he didn’t even know.

_ If father saw me now… _ The thought made him shiver, but he didn’t stop until the boy was healed. Suddenly he noticed a pair of huge, shining eyes the color of emerald with gold flecks in them looking straight up at him. As the boy stirred, so did something deep inside of him. He pulled back slowly as not to startle the boy even more.

The little thing was clearly scared but too weak to struggle and fell back against him, eyes already drooping.

  
  


The rest of the night, Astaroth spend sitting in a chair next to the bed, in case the little Neko would wake up.

With nothing else on his hands, he let his eyes roam over the little Neko. Though he was too thin to be healthy, the boy had a slender build. His skin a rich honey color he was itching to stroke and dare he say taste. His hair a mixture of deep tones of browns that felt like silk when he stroked his fingers through it. He could understand why they were such a highly sought-after commodity as sex slaves or in the brothels, the boy was stunning.

He thought back on his father’s advice to get himself slaves to entertain him, but as soon as he thought it, he pushed it away again; The mere idea of collaring the boy, let alone force him into his bed made him sick. No, he hadn’t saved the boy only to chain him up.

 

***

 

Over the course of the next four days, Astaroth hardly left the room, not wanting to leave the sick boy alone. On the morning of the fourth day, the fever broke and when the Neko woke, his eyes had lost the glazy sheen caused by the fever. Instead, they were alert and scanned his surroundings as fear made them even larger. He scrambled away but his only way out was blocked.

 

“Hey little one, calm down. I’m not going to hurt you,” Astaroth said, holding his hands up. “My name is Astaroth, what’s yours?”

A distrustful look was all the answer he got.  _ Does he recognize my name? Did I scare him into silence? _ He wasn’t sure though if the little Neko even understood his words, let alone could speak. Not every Neko could. “Are you hungry?”

Again no suggestion the boy understood.

Astaroth moved to the small table to retrieve the soup, aware of alert eyes following his every move. He sat back in his chair and held out a spoonful of soup. “Here.”

The greenest if eyes flitted back and forth between the spoon and the man holding it out to him. Hunger won out and the boy crawled just close enough to get the soup. Astaroth smiled and held out another spoonful. By the time the soup was finished, the boy had relaxed a little and looked at him in hopes of more food.

“You’re still hungry, hm? How about some bread, do you like that?” he asked while holding the plate out.

The boy crept closer still and snatched the bread from his hand before withdrawing into the corner. After giving him a gauging glance, he picked the bread before eating it.

“Slow down, little one, or you’ll get yourself an upset stomach,” Astaroth warned. But the boy ignored his advice.

Before long his eyes drooped and within minutes he was fast asleep.

 

***

 

The day had been oppressively warm and clammy. The air charged with an electrical current even the humans could feel.  _ Indra must be in a bad mood, _  he thought amused. The God of Thunder was known to be short-tempered, especially when his wife was around.

The business he had to take care of was boring and he was eager to return to the tavern—Or to be more precise, to the little Neko in his room.

It felt strange to look after someone else, having never done so before, but he found he quite liked it. And the idea of coming back and have someone waiting for him didn’t hurt either.

 

Once he entered the tavern, he shook off the busty waitress that had set her eyes on him and headed upstairs to his room. Only to find it empty.

His first thought was that someone must have taken him and he was already coming up with creative ideas to kill the ones responsible once he tracked them down, when he noticed the window latch was open. A latch that only opened from the inside. When he walked over, he saw it opened to a steep roof that would be impossible to climb for a human. Humans. Neko’s wouldn’t have any problem navigating it, nimble as they were. And he realized the boy made his escape. Not that he intended to lock him up.

 

He sighed, sensing a loss he had no right feeling—or so he told himself. When the eager waitress came up with the food he’d ordered earlier, he almost snarled at her, scaring her half out of her wits. When he looked at all the food, an idea hit him and he set the plate on the windowsill while opening the window all the way. Next, he settled in the armchair next to the fireplace with a book.

 

A few hours later, a small tingling on his magic shield alerted him of a visitor. Sure enough, within seconds a pair of bright green eyes glowed in the dark as the boy sat crouched on the windowsill.

“So, you came back, hm? Are you hungry?”

The Neko looked at him but it was clear he’d flee at the merest hint of a threat. But again, hunger seemed to win out and the boy stepped further into the room towards the food. After giving Astaroth a questioning look, the boy made quick work of the food Astaroth had set down for him.

“Slow down, you’ll get a stomachache,” he chided again. “There’s also warm milk if you like,” he added while motioning to the pitcher of milk near the fireplace. He knew he was stalling, not wanting the boy to leave yet, but he couldn’t help himself.

Said boy looked from Astaroth to the milk as to weigh whether the milk was worth the risk, but the boy’s insatiable hunger won out again—A feat he filed away for later use. He expected the little Neko to drink straight from the pitcher like a real cat would have done, but instead, he picked up the pitcher and poured the milk into a cup and drank from it like a human would.

_ So, he has learned some basic human skills at least, _ Astaroth thought, more and more intrigued by the boy.

 

Seeing the fire dying out in the fireplace, Astaroth made his way over to it and placed several logs in it before making a simple hand seal and murmuring a spell. He held up his right palm and a flame appeared above it, floating. He held his hand out towards the hearth and blew, causing the flame to leap for the logs where they spread out as they licked at the wood. Satisfied, he turned around to see two startled emerald eyes staring at him from a pale face. Astaroth cursed himself inwardly. Using his magic was as natural to him as breathing, and he had forgotten about the little Neko. He sighed, knowing that telling the boy what he was, would surely drive him away in fear.

“You saw that, didn’t you?” he said to stall the inevitable.

A nod.

“Most people, especially magical beings cringe when they hear my name. But you didn’t. I guess I wanted to keep it that way,” he started. “I’m Astaroth, the God of Fire. I control the life-giving flames and the fires of hell.” He kept a close eye on the boy expecting fear, disbelief, disgust, anything. But the boy angled his head as if he was merely interested.

“That doesn’t scare you?” he pushed.

A low rumbling sound followed by a loud crack and lightning that lit up the room announced the arrival of the thunderstorm that had been brewing all day. The thunder was followed by the crash of a cup shattering on the floor. And another bolt of lightning outlined the Neko’s startled form, ears flattened tightly to his head, tail pointed downwards. The next peal of thunder had the boy whimpering and pressed against the far wall.

Astaroth couldn’t help but laugh at the ludicrousness of the situation.  _ Now he’s scared?! _

“It’s okay, it’s just a thunderstorm. You’ll be safe here,” Astaroth assured him while heading over to the window to close it and draw the curtains, trying to shut out the storm. The boy looked alarmed at being closed in again, but when yet another loud crack sounded, he curled in on himself on the floor, hands pressed against his ears and eyes screwed up tightly.

 

When Astaroth draped his cloak over the boy, the Neko looked up in surprise. The next roll of thunder made him pull the cloak over his head as if it was a safety blanket.

Astaroth sat down next to the boy on the floor. “It’s okay, you’re safe here. Nothing can hurt you in here,” he kept repeating. As the storm dragged on, he picked up his book and a few pillows from the bed for comfort. He started to read out loud hoping to distract the scared Neko from the storm raging outside.

When a particularly loud crack shook the entire tavern, the small bundle launched himself into his lap, two hands clutching his vest. Something no one dared to do once they found out who he was.

 

***

 

The next morning the storm had passed and the sky promised sun. The bundle in his lap woke up and large pools of emerald blinked up at him sleepily. Then the boy stiffened and leaped as far away from him as he could in the small room.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” Astaroth said for the umpteenth time. “I’ll go downstairs to get us some breakfast.”

When he came back to the room, the little one had flown again.

 

Astaroth sighed. Not allowing himself to wallow, he set a plate on the windowsill before heading out through the door himself. He went straight to the forest that surrounded the village. There had been reports of demon activity and he decided to check things out for himself. The last thing he needed right now was a band of demons running havoc in his territory.

Sure enough, he could sense several demons nearby, but they hardly put up a good fight, and he killed them all before the sun even reached its highest point. He sauntered back into the now bustling village. He caught himself scanning his surroundings for bright emerald eyes, but no such luck. Which was a good thing, he told himself, it wouldn’t be safe for the little Neko to be seen; They would hunt him and hurt him.

 

***

 

Once back in his room, he hoped the food he had left out for the Neko would have been gone at least, but it was still where he left it. Angry with himself for caring, he sat down at the small desk to write some long overdue letters and to update his journal. When the boy didn’t turn up for dinner either he went downstairs to get a drink or two.

Several hours later he came back up to his room only to find the food gone. He grinned.  _ So the Neko likes to play games, hm? _

 

***

 

Their little game continued for several days—much to Astaroth’s amusement—, but he knew he had to leave soon. He’d already stayed longer than he’d planned, but staying any longer would unbalance the natural energy. Wanting to at least say goodbye to the boy, he left the food out a little further in the room. And instead of going downstairs for his own food, he cloaked himself in shadows and waited.

Sure enough, the boy showed up and unable to reach the food from the windowsill; he slipped into the room.

“I won’t charge you extra for a chair, you know,” Astaroth said while dropping the shadows.

The Neko‘s gaze snapped to the window but realized Astaroth was between him and his way out.

“Please have a seat and keep me some company?”

The boy moved his weight from one foot to the other before sitting down on the chair. Pulling up both knees, he almost crouched on it instead of sitting on it.

“You like the food?” Astaroth asked.

Huge emerald eyes looked back at him. Intelligent eyes. Astaroth had a strong feeling the boy understood the question though, just as he had understood the invitation to stay. What puzzled him though was why the boy didn’t react. Even if he was unable to speak, surely he could communicate in one way or the other? But after several more questions with the same reaction, or rather lack thereof, he gave up. “Want me to read to you again?” he asked when he saw the boy’s eyes fall on the books.

When reaction stayed out, he picked up the book—a historical narrative of times long past—and started reading. He smiled to himself as the boy’s complete attention was focused on him, hanging on his every word. After an hour or so, the boy unfolded himself from his crouch and paced the room. Astaroth was sure the boy would leave again but also knew there wasn’t much he could do to stop it. He didn’t want the boy to leave though.

To his surprise, the boy stalked closer to him and finally plopped down on the pillow next to his chair. Astaroth kept reading, afraid the Neko would change his mind if he made a move. Soon more and more of the boy’s scrawny weight leaned against his left leg. When he glanced down, it was into the reflective greens of his distinctive feline eyes. He smiled at the boy and the boy smiled back. Absentmindedly his hand found its way to the boy’s longish hair, stroking it gently. When the boy leaned in even closer, he took it as a sign he liked the attention. Emboldened by the Neko’s reaction, he scratched behind the boy’s ears. They twitched for a moment, but the Neko didn’t pull away and settled back against his side again.

The next time Astaroth looked down, the boy was fast asleep. Not wanting to wake him up, he pulled the blanket from the bed and draped it over the boy. He smiled when he made little noises in his sleep while burying himself deeper in the blanket.

 

***

 

The next morning Astaroth woke up when the warmth against his left leg let up. He blinked away the last remnants of sleep only to see the Neko already over by the window. “Wait, don’t go!”

Spooked by the sudden words, the Neko stood frozen mid-step as if caught red-handed. 

“I mean, I won’t be here tonight. I’ll be heading on at sunset.” Astaroth was a little lost for words and not exactly sure what it was he wanted himself. All he knew was that he didn’t want things to end like this. And if the sudden sad look and drooping ears were anything to go by, neither did the boy.

“You could come with me if you’d like?”  _ Where did that come from?! _  “I mean, I‘m going back home, it’s not much, but you’re welcome to stay with me for as long as you’d like.”

It was hard to say who was more surprised as both looked at the other in shock. Though the words had come out of nowhere, he realized he meant every word. The boy looked at him for a long moment, then nodded. Astaroth wasn’t sure if he nodded that he understood, or that he actually wanted to come with him. “I have some last errands to run first, but I’ll be leaving at sunset. You are free to wait for me here.”

When the boy plopped back down on the pillow, he couldn’t help but smile.

 

***

 

Astaroth growled when he hurried back through the rain. His boots were all heavy with mud, as was the back of his cloak. The errant had taken him a lot longer than he expected and his mood soured even further when he was cornered by three thugs. A quick burst of magic and they were nothing more than smoking piles of ashes already scattering in the wind, mixing with the dreck and mud already.  _ How fitting.  _ Spirits lifted again, he continued on his way.

 

“Do you have to leave Milord?”  the busty waitress pouted while pushing herself provocatively against his side,

Astaroth extracted her from him. “Yes, I do. Please have the stable master prepare my horses and carriage. I’ll be leaving at sunset.”

When he finally entered his room, he wasn’t all too surprised to find it empty. He figured the boy was out to fetch his belongings and would be back soon.

But as the sun sank lower and lower towards the horizon, there was still no sign of the boy. He paced the room, before going over to the window to check if the boy was in sight. A sudden knock on the door made him look up.

“I’m sorry Milord, but your carriage is ready,” the maids’ voice said.

“I’ll be down soon.”

He waited for half an hour longer, but the boy didn’t show up.

_ I guess he changed his mind. Maybe it’s for the better, what on earth was I to do with him?  _ But as he climbed the carriage and ordered the driver to go, he felt more alone than he had in centuries.

 

The carriage moved slowly, the driver not wanting to risk the horses getting injured due to the muddy road. Astaroth looked out over the still bustling village, his eyes seeing far better in the dark than humans did. When they turned left onto the main road—but in reality didn’t improve much—a sudden flash of brown between all the carts and carriages caught his eye.

“STOP!” he ordered the driver while already leaping out of it into the thick of traffic. His divine agility making sure he reached the other side of the busy street without a scratch. He ran back several meters while scanning the area where he thought he had seen a particular brown. When he passed a pile of crates, he saw he’d been right. A few meters ahead lay the crumpled form of his Neko in the gutter. As he rushed over, he saw the boy was wounded badly. It was clear he’d been attacked and by the looks of it, had been trembled on by a horse as well. Astaroth lifted the broken boy in his arms and carried it to his carriage. He pushed some of his energy in him to heal the worst of his wound and covered him with his cloak, holding the still unconscious boy in his arms.

A few seconds after they entered the portal into Limbo, the space between the different realms, the boy started to groan, clearly feeling the effects of the spirit realm. Since Neko were only semi-magical beings, they could live in both the spirit realms and the human realm. But it could be rather straining on them, especially Limbo with its high density of Mana, or magical energy.

Soon the boy’s groans turned into mewling whimpering and he developed a fever. Astaroth used his magic to cool his hand before laying it on the boy’s forehead. The only thing he could do for now.

 

Several hours later they finally reached the portal to the realm he called home; It was part of the human realm cloaked in magic. He had made his home in an active volcano, the volcano itself functioning as a portal and his divine powers were strongly connected to the boiling magma. The ideal home to a powerful Fire God.

As soon as the carriage came to a stop, he carried the still unconscious bundle inside and straight to bed. Next, he sent out a fire message to his friend and healer. While waiting for his friend to show up, he once again wondered what in the world he was doing.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

 

“You’ve got to be kidding me. You seriously want me, the God of healing, to waste my energy on a mere Neko? One who isn’t even your slave?!”

“Eshmun, please. I know I’m asking a lot, but I’ll pay you handsomely.” Astaroth pleaded.

“You’d better,” the God of Healing said, magic already channeling into his hands.

 

Most of the powerful Gods could use their magic to some extent to heal, but most of them would never use their own energy, their magic, to help others. Astaroth could heal some light injuries and illnesses—probably due to the purifying nature of the fire he embodied, and Eshmun had thought him several healing spells over the millennia. But this was too complex for him, and so he’d called in help.

 

A bright light enveloped Eshmun and the little Neko, originating from the spot where Eshmun’s hands connected to the boy’s chest, It only lasted for a few seconds until Eshmun pulled away.

“You owe me.”

“And I’ll always pay my debts.”

“He must be one hell of a good fuck, if you’re willing to go this far for him,” Eshmun muttered. “Anyway, your little pet is out of danger, but will be sore for a few more days.”

Astaroth thanked him.

“Now let us have a drink and catch up, so my trip here wasn’t a complete waste.”

Astaroth smiled and lead his friend to the library where he poured them both a glass of ambrosia before sitting down with his friend.

“Bring the bottle,” Eshmun instructed.

 

***

 

The next morning he checked up on the little Neko as soon as Eshmun had returned to Eden, the divine realm he called home. But as to be expected after a visit from the God of Healing, he was sleeping peacefully. Satisfied the boy would be alright he headed to his office to get some work done.

 

A few hours later the softest of footfalls made him look up to find the boy standing in the doorway, half hidden by the heavy oak door that he never closed. The boy peeked inside, curious yet too shy to step into the room.

“Hey, Little One,” he greeted. “It’s okay, you can come in.”

The boy stuck his head out a little further and sniffed the air. Astaroth had no idea what the boy was doing but watched amusedly. Apparently, whatever the boy had sniffed up, it seems his office had been deemed safe, for the boy shuffled into the room. His eyes roamed the room and turning around to take in the full three sixty of the room; From the hardwood-flooring covered with lush hand woven carpets to the rough, cavernous ceiling. The latter seemed to especially hold his interest and he almost fell backward trying to circle around while keeping his eyes on the many shadowed hidey-holes and naturally formed ridges.

“We’re inside a volcano,” Astaroth said.

The boy yelped and scrambled to the far corner of the room.

_ Great way to win his trust; Scare the wits out of him, _ Astaroth scolded himself.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” he said. “Would you like to see the rest of the house?”

The boy looked at him from where he sat crouched between two bookcases and made no indication he even understood one word of what he had said. Astaroth stepped out of the room to see what the Neko would do. Sure enough, after a few seconds, the boy slipped from the office, following him to the kitchen.

Astaroth warmed up some left-over chicken above the fireplace. Behind him, he could feel the boy make his way over to the fireplace

“Careful, it’s heated by the lava, deeper down and it’s very,  _ very _ warm,” Astaroth warned when the boy leaned over the fireplace to see what the origin of the glow was. Astaroth laughed at the stunned look on the boy’s face.

“I told you, I live inside a volcano. It connects the spirit realm with the human realm. Do you like it? I made it myself,”  Astaroth said quite proud of his home. He liked the proximity to the fiery core of the earth and also liked how it was on the outskirts of the spirit realms. Naturally shielded and protected by the volcano, it was impossible to stumble into and those who did knew how to get in, knew better than to attack a Fire God on his home turf. However, ever since he had brought back the Neko home with him, he started to see the house through different eyes, and he was afraid the little boy wouldn’t like his underground abode as much as he did.

“If you want, it could be your home as well... “ He was painfully aware he had practically kidnapped the boy from the street. He’d told himself they had attacked the boy before he had made it back to the tavern, but maybe that had been wishful thinking on his part.

Again the boy merely stared at him.

Astaroth sighed and walked over to the boy, kneeling down to be at eye-level with the boy. The Neko stepped back and was on edge, but didn’t run off.

“Little One, if you want to go back to the human realm, that’s okay too. I can take you back whenever you want.”

The boy frowned at the nickname.

“You don’t like it?” Astaroth asked amused. “Then what is your name? Do you even have one?”

But of course, the boy stayed quiet and instead he seemed to have lost interest. 

Astaroth let the boy be and rummaged through the cupboards. He didn’t use the kitchen much since he usually used his magic to create a meal, but now and then, he liked to prepare a meal. He poured milk into a glass and handed it to the boy who had plopped down next to the fireplace, peeking over the edge to look at the moving stream of molten stone meters down.

The boy jumped but recovered quickly when he saw the milk. He held the glass with both hands and after a quick glance of approval; he drank the milk before handing the glass back to Astaroth.

“You want more?”

There were no words needed  

 

They ate in companionable silence and Astaroth decided he could get used to this. Having lived on his own for so long, he appreciated the quiet.

“Would you like more milk, Boy?”

An irritated hiss that betrayed his feline traits was all the answer he got. The Neko clearly wasn’t impressed with his new nickname either, making Astaroth chuckle.

The boy brought this plate over to the counter where Astaroth was leaning against it. For a long moment, the little boy looked at him, large eyes reflecting the light in the room in a way only cat eyes did while shifting his weight from one foot to the other. Astaroth raised his eyebrows, waiting to see what the Neko would do.

“Slut.” Timid, softly spoken words.

Astaroth blinked, not sure what shocked him more; The fact the boy was capable of speech after all, or the nature of the first word he chose to speak. “Excuse me?” he almost stammered.

The boy cocked his head, frustrated that Astaroth didn’t understand. Then he pointed as Astaroth. “As. Slut,” he said while pointing at himself.

A growl escaped from Astaroth’s throat as the dots finally connected. A loud rumble all around them echoed as the earth shook, causing dust to fall from the ceiling. The boy scrambled under the over of the table as the volcano came alive around them. Astaroth cursed and took a calming breath before crouching in front of the table.

“It’s okay, it’s safe. The volcano reacts to my mood. It’s fine now,” he tried to calm the boy down while working hard to contain his own anger.

“Slut is what those humans called you, didn’t they?”

“Name not good?” Feline ears laying flat against his head.

“That’s not a real name. It’s a bad curse word. Don’t you have a real name? One that someone called you?”

The boy perked up. “Whore!”

Astaroth groaned and the boy’s face fell again.

“Ren?” he asked questioning. “Nana called me Ren.”

Astaroth smiled. “Ren. You can forget all those other things they called you.”

The boy seemed okay with that. “As. Ren” He repeated while pointing from the tall God in front of him to himself.

“Astaroth,” Astaroth corrected.

The boy nodded. “As.”

Astaroth chuckled. ‘As’ it was then. “I’m happy to make your acquaintance,” he said.

The boy frowned “Akway... Aque..”

“Acquaintance. It means ‘I’m happy to get to know you’” Astaroth explained. “Is Nana a friend or relative of yours?”

Ren hauled his shoulder as if he didn’t understand. “Nana is Nana. Nana feeds Ren a lot.”

“She sounds like a nice person.”

The boy smiled and nodded.

 

***

 

“Let’s see if we can create you your own room,”  Astaroth said while leading the boy deeper into the volcano he called home. His own bedroom was magically carved into the basalt, and when he suggested the boy’s room to be near his own the Neko had nodded enthusiastically. Several spells and a vast expenditure of magic later, a second large room had been added to the house, complete with a huge poster bed and some furniture. “You want a fireplace?” Astaroth asked. Geothermal heating fed by the volcano was more than enough to keep the entire home nice and warm—even in the midsts of winter—, but Astaroth loved the way the fore played with the logs. So he had added fireplaces in most rooms. And if Ren’s sparkling eyes were anything to go by, so did the Neko. Another spell later and there was a fireplace.

 

***

 

Astaroth stretched his arms, having sat at his desk for hours and decided to check on his little Neko was doing. He wandered from room to room, but couldn’t find the boy anywhere. Every nerve in his body told him he was being watched, yet he couldn’t detect anyone, and it put him on edge.

“Ren?” He listened closely as he could faintly hear a rustling sound. He called out again and followed the sound into a storage room. At first, he didn’t see the boy, yet every sense told him he wasn’t alone in the room. When he decided he must have imagined it and made to leave the room, a minute move in his peripheral vision made him turn around. Just in time to notice the tip of a tail disappear in a shadowed pocket near the ceiling.

He whispered a spell that created a fiery orb in the palm of his hand. The orb flew up towards the ceiling, chasing away the shadows. As the orb flew higher Astaroth noticed there was a ridge high up and what looked like a natural ventilation shaft. The orb drifted closer to the ridge when a sudden small hand lashed out at it out of nowhere. The orb evaded the hand easily, but when it closed in again, so did the hand.

Astaroth smiled from the ground as the little Neko abandoned his game of hide-and-seek in favor of trying to catch the glowing orb.

“So that’s where you’ve been hiding, hm?”

When the orb dissipated Ren’s attention returned to the amused Fire God. Much to said God’s surprise, he leaped down via small ridges in the rough rock face that formed most of the walls.

“How did you even find it?”

Ren hauled his shoulders, a movement only exaggerated by the overly large dress shirt he was wearing. It was Astaroth’s and it had been the only clothes he had. But the boy had been happy with it and seemed to like the bagginess.

 

***

 

It was after dinner and Astaroth sighed in relaxation as he reclined back against the rock bedding of the large natural hot spring. He had put a spell on the ceiling so it always showed the starry night sky and fire sprites were chasing each other in the cavernous dome. Though most assumed being a fire God he disliked water, but soaking in the hot water was one of his guilty pleasures.

Soft footfalls alerted him to the boy’s presence. Astaroth opened his eyes to see Ren wander in, curiously looking around. He made his way over to the edge of the pool, entranced by the perfect mirror of the night sky reflected. Ren crouched down at the edge while reaching out his hand towards the closest star reflection. As soon as his hand touched the water though, the reflection rippled and he pulled his hand back as if burned.

“It’s water,” Astaroth said from the other side of the pool. “Why don’t you come in too? It’s nice and warm.”

Ren mewled in distaste.

“Come on, it won’t bite.”

The boy paced along the side of the pool as if to find a different way to get to the other side, but when he couldn’t find any, he crouched down at the edge. Carefully he touched the water with his foot. When it disappeared beneath the surface without touching the bottom yet, he pulled it back out.

“Take off your clothes and step in. You can stand on that side.”

Ren growled at him and gave him a glare, but took off his clothes. As much as he seemed to dislike the water, he also appeared to be intrigued by it. Again, he put his foot in and tried to seek the bottom. After some fidgeting around he sat down on the edge and dipped both feet into the warm water. His eyes were scrunched tightly shut as if he expected something horrible to happen any second. When that stayed out, he blinked them open and peered at his submerged feet first and then over at Astaroth, who was watching him bemusedly. Ren got to his feet, standing on tiptoes even though the water barely came up to his belly. He kept his arms up as if not to get them wet. He took some careful steps towards Astaroth but clearly didn’t like how with every step closer, the water rose a few inches.

The fire sprites swooped down towards him, yet staying just out of reach. Ren tried to catch and chase them. Distracted as he was by the sprites he forgot his animosity towards the water. The fire sprites, who by nature were playful and curious little creatures kept close to the little Neko. When Ren overreached trying to catch a sprite and fell over. Water closing in over his head, he panicked.

Strong hands pulled him back up again and he gasped for air, clinging to his savior like a vice.

“It’s okay, I’ve got you.”

Ren struggled in Astaroth’s grip in an attempt to get himself away from the water as far as he could—uncaring he was almost strangling his savior in the process.

Astaroth waded back to where he had reclined earlier, setting the little Neko in his lap. The poor thing was still shaking and hissing at the water now and then.

“You really don’t like water, don’t you, little one?”

Ren glared at him. “Nana said water is dangerous.”

“Well, she’s not wrong. If you’re not careful, you could drown. But don’t worry, I won’t let that happen. I can even teach you how to swim.”

The boy wasn’t easily persuaded, yet for the moment decided he was stuck. as there was an ocean of water between him and dry land. He settled more comfortably on the Fire God’s lap, feeling safe in his arms. He loosened the strangling hold on his neck in favor of playing with his long fiery red hair.

Astaroth relaxed even deeper into the water, oddly pacified by the gentle touches to his scalp and the comforting presence of physical contact other than for feeding purposes.

_ I could get used to this. _


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As they get used to living together, Astaroth's feelings for the little Neko change and fantasies are brewing.

Two days later, Astaroth went to Ren’s room to make sure the boy was okay. He had been having nightmares that shook him badly, yet tonight he heard no sounds coming from his room. He knocked on the door, before stepping inside. To his surprise, the bed was devoid of a small Neko. Frowning, he looked through the rest of the pillow-strewn room thinking he decided to sleep on one of the large pillows instead. But there was no trace of him anywhere. He made his way to the kitchen, hoping the boy had woken up and went to get food. But the kitchen was as dark and silent as the bedroom. Telling himself there was no reason to panic; that the boy couldn’t have left. The same seals that kept everyone else out also would have alerted him if Ren had stepped out. So he searched the other rooms.

He was about to call for him when his sensitive hearing picked up a soft whimpering sound.

He traced the sound back to one of the old and unused storage rooms. A single snap of his fingers and three fiery orbs appeared in front of him. He sent them out to light the way as he made his way further into the room. He had to move several heavy boxes and crates but the now louder whimpers told him the boy was near.

When he almost reached the back of the room, he could sense he was close, yet all he saw were crates and boxes.  _ Where is he?! _

He pulled away a blanket that covered a medium-sized cage and to his astonishment, he saw the curled up form of the little Neko inside the cage. The boy was curled around one of his pillows and seemed to be in the throes of a nightmare. For a moment he stood there and watched as he tried to comprehend what the boy was doing in a cage, or how he had gotten there.

When the soft whimpering got more restless as whatever nightmare was plaguing him seemed to grip him even harder in its dark clutches, he was startled back into action.

“Ren? Hey, wake up.”

But the boy was too deep in the throes of the nightmare to hear him. He moved some crates around and a dusted basket to the side so he could kneel beside the cage. The cage itself was too low and deep for him to enter, so he tried to reach the boy thought the bars instead. When he shook the boy’s shoulder, he woke up with a start and almost jumped at the contact.

“It’s okay, Ren, it’s just me. What are you doing here? Did you get stuck?” he asked. It was the only thing he could come up with as to why the Neko would have fallen asleep where he had.

Ren blinked sleepily and seemed disoriented for a moment, then he crawled out of the cage and crawled into Astaroth’s arms. “Ren sleep,” he said as if that explained everything.

 

***

 

When Astaroth found him in the same cage for the next two days, it was pretty clear the boy hadn’t been lost.

“Why do you keep sleeping here?”

Ren hauled his shoulders. “Safe.”

“You don’t like your bed? Or your room?”

The boy looked at his feet, hands clasped behind his back. “It’s big.”

“Big? You mean your room?”

A small nod.

Astaroth started to understand that the room’s size might be a bit intimidating. “If you want, I can make it smaller for you?”

Ren nodded, but still looked uneasy. “Ren can’t sleep here anymore?” he almost pouted. Almost.

Astaroth raised his eyebrows. “You like the cage that much?”

“It’s safe.”

Astaroth frowned, saddened by the fact the boy had been driven to such lengths that he now considered it safest in a cage. “If that is what you want, you can sleep in it,” Astaroth said. “How about I will make your room smaller and we place the cage in there instead of this dusty room, hm?”

An elated smile and fervent nod, followed by a yawn.

 

***

 

They stayed in the house for two weeks, both content with each other’s company as if they had been living like this for far longer. Astaroth, not wanting to jeopardize what they had, had put off any trips to the outside world. But he needed to feed soon and they also needed supplies and clothes for Ren.

And so they were on their way to the human realm, as it was the closest and for Ren the safest. The short carriage ride through Limbo, the in-between-world, didn’t sit too well with Ren. The boy sagged against the door, looking out in curiosity at the strange world outside the window, but with an almost lethargic look.

“We’ll be in the human realm soon,” Astaroth said.

  
  


Once they reached the human village, they headed straight for an inn to find lodgings.

“You are more than welcome to stay, Milord,” the innkeeper said, wringing his meaty hands in glee with the prospect of having the wealthy-looking man in his establishment. “But the Neko stays in the stables with the rest of the animals,” he added with a dismissive look at Ren.

Astaroth had to restrain himself not to incinerate the innkeeper on the spot. Instead, he glared at the fat man and turned on his heel.

“Come on Ren, this clearly isn’t the classy inn we were looking for.”

Ren looked unsure from the ruffled innkeeper to Astaroth’s regal-looking retreating back, and after a quick bow to the innkeeper, hurried after the Fire God.

“Unbelievable, how rude! I should have set the whole blasted place on fire!”

 

Astaroth’s mood got even worse when the same thing happened at the next inn. The only thing keeping him from firing things up was the uncomfortable boy next to him.

“Don’t let it get to you, Ren. They are just boorish humans.”

Ren frowned at the last words, as they weren’t part of his limited vocabulary. “Why is As’ angry?”

“They have no right to discriminate you. Treat you like you’re an animal,” he rephrased when Ren didn’t understand.

“But Ren is Neko,” the boy stated simply.

“And that doesn’t place you beneath them. They are  _ humans _ .”

 

Astaroth was still fuming when he took notice of Ren’s increasing discomfort at all the looks he was getting. It dawned on him that the boy had probably never openly walked the streets like this, but would have stayed in the shadows in order not to draw dangerous attention to himself. Scolding himself for not realizing sooner, he looked around until he found a certain shop he knew was there. He took Ren’s hand and led the boy into a small shop.

 

“Good afternoon sir, what can I do for you?” the jovial-looking shopkeeper said, ignoring the boy standing right next to him.

“We need a cloak for him,” Astaroth said while nudging Ren forward.

The jovial smile faltered a little. “Ah, but we only have the highest quality of wool garments here, sir. But there’s a shop outside of the village that sells working clothes and slave clothes,” he added.

Having pushed his patience pretty much to the limit, Astaroth’s eyes glowed a fiery red, giving away his divine nature. The man gulped and backed away several steps. Even he knew that glowing eyes on a God was not a good thing and usually spelled disaster and death.

“Get. Him. A. Cloak.”

“Yes, Sir. Right away, Sir.” All jovially gone without a trace. He scuttled to a backroom while never taking his eyes off of the pissed off God standing authoritatively in the middle of his shop.

He came back within minutes with a deep brown colored wool cloak.

Astaroth took the cloak from him without a word and gently put it around Ren’s shoulders. The cloak covered him from top to just above his feet, effectively hiding both his tail and his ears when he pulled up the hood. “How do you like it?”

Ren was stroking the soft wool before snuggling even deeper into is, mesmerized by the texture. A few seconds later bright eyes focused back on Astaroth, a huge grin on his face. “Ren like!”

 

Once back outside the looks and whispers were gone now that they took him as a regular, albeit wealthy, boy. Ren was thrilled with the resulting anonymity, giving Astaroth a big smile.

Next, Astaroth bought Ren several sets of clothing—none of them making Ren as happy as he was with the cloak.

They were wandering the busy street when Astaroth suddenly realized Ren was no longer by his side. He looked around and was relieved to find the boy plastered against a store window a little way back. He walked back to see what had drawn the boy’s attention.

His lips curled into a smile when he saw it was a pastry shop. The boy had his nose and both hands pressed against the glass and Astaroth was sure that under the cloak, his tail would be wagging in excitement.

“Let me guess, you’re hungry?” he said in the Neko’s ear.

Huge twinkling eyes looked up at him pleadingly. “They have cakes!”

Astaroth smiled and was slightly worried about how easily the boy managed to wrap him around his fingers as he stepped into the little bakery.

They ended up buying almost more than they could carry, but Ren never looked happier.

With Ren still wearing his cloak, it had been no problem to get a room in the next inn they tried.

“I need to feed, but I’ll be back soon. Don’t let anyone else in, okay?” Astaroth said after dinner.

Ren cocked his head sideways. A posture Astaroth started to recognized meant the Neko was confused about something. “As’ get more cakes?”

Astaroth sighed, not looking forward to the conversation. “No cakes. As a God, I also need to feed on energy.” He hoped that would satisfy the Neko’s curiosity as he wasn’t too comfortable explaining in detail how he would either fuck or kill others in order to drain them off their energy. It wasn’t something he was ashamed of; like every creature, he needed to feed to stay alive. But he didn’t want the Neko to think any less of him.

“As’ hurt people?” Ren asked softly.

Astaroth sat down on the bed next to Ren. “I don’t have to. I usually have sex with them. It will leave them exhausted, but otherwise unharmed. Does that bother you?”

Ren looked at him, his head cocked to the side as if he was thinking the question over. He shook his head. “As’ hungry, As’ need to eat too. As back soon?”

Astaroth released a breath he hadn’t even realized he’d held in the first place. “Yes, I’ll be back soon. Before the sun comes up I’m back,” he promised.

He made quick work of it, not wanting to leave Ren alone for too long, but he needn’t have worried. Ren was already fast asleep by the time he came back.

  
  


A few hours later, soft mewls woke him up. He got up and woke Ren up from his nightmare. Ever since he started sleeping in the cage, the nightmares had disappeared, but there was no cage here to make him feel safe.

“It’s okay,  you’re safe. I won’t let anyone hurt you ever again.”

Ren looked at him and crawled into his lap. Astaroth was pleasantly surprised, and held the boy safely in his arms, even after he had eventually fallen back asleep again.

  
  


The next few days they spend in the village and Astaroth could see Ren loved it. He stayed away from most adult humans, but he loved playing with the children in the grassy fields outside the village. Ball games and tag games seemed to be his favorite. Though Astaroth was pleased to see the little Neko this relaxed and playful, he was also wondering if he’d made the wrong decision to take him away from the human realm to live with him. He told himself it was for his own good; That it would be dangerous for him. But seeing him like this…

_ Perhaps he doesn’t want to go back with me. Maybe he wants to stay here. _

 

***

 

Two more days, and Astaroth couldn’t prolong his stay any longer. Demon activity had already appeared, and him staying there any longer would only intensify it.

“Ren, I have to go back tomorrow.”

The boy frowned and dropped the ball Astaroth had bought him to walk over to Astaroth. “Ren leave too?”

Astaroth’s heart contracted. “No,” he said, “you don’t have to. You can stay if you want.”

A twitching tail and tightly balled fist and Astaroth was confused. “You  _ don’t _ want to stay here?”

“Ren stay with As. As promised!” Ren almost hissed.

And like that, Astaroth could breathe again. “Yes! Yes, you can always stay with me. I thought perhaps you would prefer to stay here. You like it here don’t you?”

“Ren likes being with As’.”

“And I like being with you, Ren.”

  
  


With a heart that was considerably lighter, they returned home the next day.

“I’ve got you, “ Astaroth said when Ren almost stumbled from the carriage. The passage through Limbo had taken its toll on the Neko and he could barely stand on his feet. Astaroth carried him straight to Ren’s bedroom, but when he bent down to lay the already half asleep Neko in his bed, the boy roused and clung to him.

“Ren stay with As’”

“You want to sleep with me tonight?” Astaroth asked a little surprised.

The only answer he got was Ren snuggling closer to him still. And so, he headed to his own bedroom where he laid the Neko in his own bed. Ren turned over a few times before settling against his side where he almost immediately fell asleep.

 

Astaroth woke the next morning to the brightest emerald eyes.  _ I could get used to waking up like this,  _ he thought while stretching lazily.

“How are you feeling? Better?” he asked Ren.

“Ren hungry!”

Astaroth laughed. “Then let’s get you some breakfast.”

 

***

 

They had fallen into a comfortable rhythm and soon it was as if they’d been together for years. Ren’s vocabulary, though limited, did grow and Astaroth found he had no problem communicating with the boy. Or rather, young men, as Ren turned out to be older than he looked. Making Astaroth feel considerably better about the dirty little fantasies he’ been having about the boy. They started the morning he’d woken up with Ren in his bed, and made an increasingly frequent recurrence since.

Ren gave no sign he felt the same and with his past of sexual abuse, Astaroth couldn’t blame him. Not wanting to risk spoiling the good thing they had going, he resigned those feelings to his fantasies alone.

 

He believed he’d done a good job of hiding them, but when he caught Ren’s look when he was taking a bath one morning after a particularly vivid fantasy, he was almost convinced Ren knew what he had been dreaming about. However the Neko slipped away again before he could say anything, and next time he saw him, Ren acted as if nothing happened.

 

It wouldn’t have been so hard to keep his hands to himself, if not because Ren seemed to have no sense of personal space. After the first few weeks, he had decided Astaroth was ‘good’ and gone was the shyness and skittishness. And Ren  _ loved  _ touch. He loved to be petted and would treat him to a satisfied purring, just like a real cat would do.

 

***

 

With summer in full swing, they decided to take a walk in the forest on the flank of the volcano. Ren loved to run at full speed through the meadow with wildflowers; Chasing the insects and birds that flew up by the disturbance. Astaroth settled on a patch of grass, back against a tree and reading a book. Or trying to read. His gaze and mind both kept wandering to his Neko.

After an hour or so, Ren plopped down next to him, complaining he was hungry. Astaroth smiled. The boy was always hungry. He had expected that though and had brought along fish cakes—Ren’s favorite—, bread and cheese. Combined with the berries they picked earlier, it made for a nice meal.

When Ren looked up at him, he giggled as he pointed to his face. Before Astaroth could find out what was so funny, he had a lap full of Neko. Ren had crawled onto his lap, oblivious to how close he was getting to the Fire God’s crotch and quickly hardening cock.

Telling himself sternly to cool down, he lost his train of thought when a slightly rough tongue tentatively licked his lips.

“Sweet,” Ren said while repeating his earlier action.

“Ren? What are you doing?” Astaroth asked breathlessly as it took all his concentration to form that cognitive sentence.

Ren cocked his head, oblivious to Astaroth’s meltdown. “Berries,” he clarified while swiping his fingers over Astaroth’s lips this time, showing him the purplish smear.

Finally, it clicked. It stung to know the action had no significant, let along sexual, connotation to the Neko, but he snuffed it in the bud.

He expected Ren to get up again, but the boy stayed put and looked at him as if in thought. Then he leaned in again, more hesitantly this time, and licked his lips again. He kept his eyes trained on Astaroth’s as if afraid to be pushed away.

Pushing the boy away was the furthest thing on Astaroth’s mind though, but it did take an effort not to pull him closer.

When no rejection came, Ren became bolder and when he moaned a little, Astaroth lost it. Instead of keeping himself immobile, his arms snaked around the boy and pulled him closer. He opened his mouth, and Ren wasted no time in delving his tongue in.

Now it was Astaroth’s turn to moan as magic tinkled on his tongue. His divine magic was reacting to Ren’s magic. Though Ren was only a semi-magical creature, it was still reacting to his, and it was fueling his hunger.

When Ren shuffled a little, his hand slipped to the back of his head, as if to keep the boy where he was. But he needed to have worried. Ren only crept closer, rubbing himself against Astaroth’s hardness. When they came up for air, Ren sat back a little, licking his own lips.

“Ren hungry!”

 

And just like that, the electric current that had been crackling around them dissipated and things were back to how they were before.  _ Or maybe not exactly like before _ , he thought as he saw Ren adjusting his cock as he skipped off to play again.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are heating up

When Ren made no reference to what had happened at the picnic over the next few days, Astaroth was starting to believe it had been one of his fantasies—Except his fantasies rarely ended without him coming.

 

Astaroth was lounging in the warm water of the underground pool when Ren stepped into the cave-like dome. He made quick work of his clothes and stepped into the shallow end. Though nowhere near as scared of the water as he had been in the beginning, he still wasn’t a huge fan. And preferred to stay in the shallow end, playing with the fire sprites.  This time though, Ren stuck to the rock face and made his way over to him. He had discovered that if he stayed close enough to the rock face, he could hold on to it, and make it all the way to Astaroth’s favorite spot without having to actually swim.

Once he had reached Astaroth he sat himself down on the Fire God’s lap and played with his long hair. For reasons Astaroth couldn’t quite understand, his long, fiery red tresses was a magnet for the Neko; He loved playing with it, or let the silky strands slip through his hands. It seemed to have a calming effect on the boy.

Astaroth on his part loved the gentle tugs and combined with the warm water, he felt his eyes droop. He woke up to a slightly rough, wet tongue licking from his collarbone all the way to his ear, licking up the drops of water. Turning his head a fraction, he caught Ren’s lips with his own. Startled, emerald eyes widened a fraction, but Ren didn’t pull back. The kiss started out innocently enough, but with the lingering images from the fantasy he had before he woke up still fresh in his mind, the kiss heated fast.

Astaroth told himself to slow down, that he didn’t want to scare Ren or push him further than he was willing to go. But Ren had no trouble keeping up with him and rubbed himself against the Fire God.

It had been one thing to have the sexy Neko rub up against him when they had both been fully clothed, it was another thing entirely when they were both naked. Coming up for air, Astaroth wasted no time in kissing down his Neko’s neckline, forcing the boy’s head back as he gave in to the need to taste the boy.

Ren’s moans echoed erotically through the cave, spurring Astaroth on even more. Hands were roaming everywhere as they finally had unrestricted access. Ren was dry-humping his leg as he too seemed consumed by lust.

Astaroth grabbed both their cocks in a tight fist, giving them both the friction they craved. Little happy mewls escaped Ren’s throat at the added pleasure and he buried his face deep in Astaroth’s neck, clinging to the Fire God for dear life.

The hot puffs of air into his ear, combined with the erotic sounds Ren kept making, had Astaroth running for an orgasm.

“Nnn As’… inside." 

Astaroth froze. Had he heard it right? And if he did, did Ren mean what he hoped it did?

He held a protesting Neko away from him a little, so he could look into his eyes. “Ren? Tell me what you want. tell me and I’ll give it to you.”

Ren growled in frustration, his lust interfering with his ability to speak. A Neko trait, Astaroth knew.

“As’ inside. Ren wants.” To make his intentions even more clear, he rolled his hips into Astaroth’s cock, ass pressing down.

The volcano around them rumbled softly as Astaroth groaned. He kissed his Neko deeply again as he slowly worked a finger inside the boy’s tight ass. Tight as Ren was, Astaroth found he was also nice and slippery as if he had been lubed and readied for him. Also a Neko trait he knew.

Ren mewled, already moving his hips to work the finger in deeper. Astaroth added a second finger to stretch him even more. He knew that Ren wasn’t a virgin, but he wasn’t exactly human size—it had some perks to be a full-fledged God—and Ren was incredibly tight.

Ren growled impatiently, too far gone for words, but he got the message across.

Astaroth pulled his fingers back while positioning Ren right where he needed him. Slowly, not wanting to hurt the fragile looking Neko, he lowered the boy on his cock.

He was sure he would come merely from feeling that tightness around the head of his cock. What kept him from coming was that he was sure he was hurting Ren. Sure he was tearing him open with the wide girth of his cock. But Ren only looked slightly uncomfortable, biting his bottom lip as Astaroth’s cock stretched him wider than he had been before.

“Ren, are you okay?” Astaroth asked worried while holding himself still.

Ren nodded while resting his forehead against Astaroth’s, his breathing fast and shallow. “As’ big,” he finally said after a few seconds.

“I’m sorry… I’ll—” Astaroth was about to lift the boy off his cock when Ren clenched his thighs.

“Ren likes.”

Astaroth blinked, unsure of what to do. But Ren had no such qualms and lowered himself down further on the massive cock, moaning as he did.

“Ren, slow down. I don’t want to hurt you,” Astaroth said with clenched teeth while focussing hard not to come as inch by inch his cock was being swallowed by the tightest heat.

But Ren didn’t stop until he had taken every inch of the Fire God’s formidable cock inside.

“Ren?” Astaroth asked worriedly.

The boy finally lifted his head and smiled. Astaroth kissed him, making him moan as he leaned into the kiss. After a few seconds. Ren slowly moved his hips, lifting himself up before impaling himself again. Astaroth held his hips, helping him move until they got a good rhythm going. Water was sloshing all around them, as their movements got faster. More frantic.

“Come for me Ren,” Astaroth said while thrusting up deeply.

With a high keening sound, Ren did. Shooting his come all over their chests.

Astaroth loved to see the rosy cheeks of his flushed Neko, but he needed more. He needed to come. He stood up and turned them around, pinning Ren between the rock face and his hard body. Without delay, he thrust back into the tight heat of Ren’s ass. Ren cried out and threw his head back in ecstasy as Astaroth set a fast pace, the new angle allowing for even deeper penetration.

Sharp nails scratched Astaroth’s back, only adding to his pleasure. He was so close, yet he wanted to make the boy come again before finding his own release. Sucking on Ren’s jugular—Ren only too willing to grant him access—he could feel Ren getting close again. Thrusting even faster Ren came again. The acute tightening around his cock as Ren’s ass-muscles clenched tightly, send him over the edge and he came hard. Shooting his seed deep into Ren’s ass. He could feel the magic between them sizzling, sending them both into yet another orgasm.

Astaroth could feel Ren’s energy pour into him, unlike any other time he had fed. He was careful not to take too much, not wanting to hurt him. But Ren didn’t mind, only settled against him, purring contently before dozing off to sleep.

 

***

 

“I need to visit Mercurius soon,”  Astaroth said a few months later. “Would you like to come with?”

Ren scrunched his nose. It’s not that he hated the other God, but considering the God of Commerce ran the largest slave market in all the realms—and with an iron rule—he wasn’t his biggest fan either. Especially not after he had seen another Neko being sold there, the last time they’d been there. Apart from his feelings for the God himself, and his trade, he didn’t like spending time at the slave market itself. It was crowded, noisy, and what was worse, huge guard dogs protected the grounds. It always stressed him out to spend any amount of time there.

But he also didn’t like to be alone for too long. And since time passed differently in every realm, Astaroth would be gone for months. Even if in the Divine Realm only a few weeks had passed.

And thus Ren decided to go with Astaroth.

 

***

 

Astaroth and Mercurius were making their way across the courtyard when loud yelling and guards running, interrupted their conversation. Annoyed, Mercurius barked some orders to his men.

“Probably one of the newly arrived slaves,” Mercurius said. “They still think they can escape their faith by trying to escape. They’ll learn soon enough it’s futile and will only make it harder on themselves. Especially humans. I swear, they are the most hard-headed, proud beings out there, especially for beings who are by far the weakest species in all the realms.”

Astaroth chuckled. “Yes, their arrogance knows no bounds.”

 

They continued on their way to Mercurius’ private quarters when chaos ensued once more. A whole pack of guard dogs was going wild, running along the far side of the courtyard, followed by their keepers and several other guards on duty.  All chasing what looked like a shadow.

Astaroth’s attention was already back on his friend when a familiar flash of red fabric in his peripheral vision made him stop in his tracks. He scanned the courtyard, but it was gone. For a moment he figured he must have imagined it, when all of a sudden he saw his Neko come around a corner balcony, leaping to the next with ease while keeping his eyes on the dogs down below.

“Ren!”

But the Neko didn’t hear him over the noise as he ran for his life, trying to stay out of the mauls of the ferocious dogs.

Astaroth set after him, followed by Mercurius. Ren zigzagged his way through the vast expansion of the market, heading to the outbuildings. It was a dead end as it was enclosed on three sides with buildings too high and steep to climb, even for the nimble Neko. Mercurius ordered the dogs back, knowing they were probably what had scared the Neko in the first place.

“STOP HIM!” Mercurius ordered as Ren made to slip through the bars of the cage on the far left. But it was too late. Ren, having been scared and threatened into a corner, slipped through the bars with relative ease, knowing the dogs and guards couldn’t follow him there.

“That’s not good,” Mercurius cursed.

Even the guards seemed uncomfortable around the cage, making sure not to get too close. All of them looked unsure of how to proceed.

Astaroth and Mercurius pushed through the gathered crowd until they stood in front of the cage. Ren had curled up into a tight ball in the far corner of the cage, eyes scrunched shut, nostrils flaring and his ears tightly by shaking hands.

“Ren?” Astaroth said soothingly while stepping right up to the bars.

“Careful Astaroth,” Mercurius warned.

Only then did Astaroth notice the other inhabitant of the cell. It was a slender boy that looked to be in his early twenties. He had shaggy looking hair in at least a dozen different shades of brown, but what set him apart most was his skin. It was different shades of light brown, but from a distance, it looked gnarled; like heavy scar tissue. The boy didn’t seem fazed at all by all the ruckus outside his cell and alternated his attention between the chaos outside and the Neko huddling in the corner of his cell. Ignoring them, he walked over to the Neko and kneeled down in front of him. All the while whispering what sounded like incantations in a strange language Astaroth had never heard before.

“Touch him and I’ll kill you,” Astaroth warned.

The boy merely gave him a sideways glance, but otherwise ignored him, reaching out for the whimpering Neko.

Astaroth stepped even closer, trying to reach out inside the cell while ordering the guards to open the door.

Just in time, Mercurius pulled him back as dagger-like vines came out of nowhere and shot at him like snakes. Several of the guards who had also stood close got severe cuts from the razor-sharp thorns.

“Stand back, and get them to the medic. These vines are poisonous!” Mercurius ordered.

When Astaroth looked back inside the cell, a tight cocoon of the same type of vines was forming around the boy and Ren as he watched.

Astaroth growled. “What the hell is that?!”

“He’s a Lashy,” Mercurius answered.

Astaroth’s hands gripped the bars. Lashy’s were rare and hardly showed themselves these days. They were tree creatures and ruled most of the dense forests. Though they stayed to themselves mostly, they were very dangerous and powerful. The few brave enough, or reckless enough—depending on your point of view—to hunt them down rarely survived. But the amount of gold a few branches of their trees would make, well made up the risk if they succeeded. For it was said wood from their trees could cure pretty much anything. Though this one may still be young, Astaroth had no doubt he would be strong enough to kill. And the little display of power earlier only attested to that.

_ No wonder the guards are all so scared of him. _

“Oy, let the Neko go!” Astaroth ordered with every ounce of divinity in his voice. At least the guards got the message as they stepped back from him, now dividing their wariness between him and the Lashy. “Open the cell,” Astaroth ordered when nothing happened.

“Astaroth, it’s too dangerous. Besides, chances are the Neko is alrea—”

“—Don’t you dare say it! Now. Open. The. Door!” Astaroth snarled.

Mercurius looked at him, sighed and motioned to the guard to open the door. He knew the Lashy was dangerous, but if anyone was a natural enemy to the Lashy, it would be a Fire God.

The tension was thick when the guard opened the door. Everyone present expected the Lashy to escape, or attack. But the only thing that happened was the cocoon tightening and growing ever denser. Astaroth stepped inside the cell, sword ready and his magical powers already sizzling in the air around him, ready to strike the moment the Lashy would attack.

“Final warning. Let the Neko go, he’s mine.”

Without further delay, Astaroth slashed his sword at the vines. A pained sound resonated from the vines, but they didn’t give way. As Astaroth continued to hack his way in, they came for him. Poison dripping from their thorns, like sharp teeth in a mass of swirling tentacle-like vines. Astaroth growled as he was forced back or risk getting caught and most likely seriously injured. Astaroth had enough. He summoned the Flames of Hell; Flames over ten times as hot as normal fire.

The second his flames reached the vines a deafening shriek echoed throughout the air. It sent chills down his spine, but he kept up the flames. No one came between him and his Ren.

The vines burned and the screams intensified, yet still, the cocoon held strong. When Astaroth called upon even more power, he could hear Ren’s screaming over the noise.

“As’ stop! NO!”

Instantly Astaroth dropped the flames. Though he had full control over them and therefore knew Ren couldn’t have been hurt by them.

“Ren?! Are you alright?”

He could make out Ren’s distressed voice and mewls, but it was too muffled to hear what he was saying. Astaroth stood motionless in frustration, not sure how to proceed, when seconds later, one by one the vines forming the cocoon let up. Pushing his way through was Ren.

“Ren!” Astaroth leaped forward, trying to pull Ren back to safety, but the second he moved, the vines shot back up. Several of them gently nudged Ren back while others hovered threateningly between Ren and Astaroth.

Astaroth forced his eyes past Ren, at the hunched over form of the Lashy. The boy’s body was smoking, burn marks and deep gashes covering his arms and face. The boy may look badly injured, his eyes were glowing a bright green and trained on Astaroth’s every move.

Astaroth’s eyes widened when instead of coming to him, Ren turned to the Lashy, clearly worried over the other boy. Ren leaped from one foot to the other, something he did when he was agitated. He half spoke, half meowed at the Lashy, frustrated that he couldn’t communicate.

Confused about what was happening, Astaroth stepped closer. Immediately the Lashy pulled Ren closer to himself while vines shot out at Astaroth again. Astaroth easily cut them down with his sword, noticing the cries of pain from the Lashy as he did so.  _ So they’re connected to his physical form. Good to know. _

To his surprise, Ren whirled around and glared at him. “As’ NO!” Tears were in his wide eyes and he was shaking like a leaf. “Kostya good! As’ don’t hurt!”

For a few seconds, Astaroth wasn’t sure what the hell was going on. But now he looked more closely, he could see the protective posture of the Lashy towards Ren. Even injured, he had positioned himself between Ren and him, making it very clear he had to go through him to get to Ren. He also noted that Ren didn’t have a scratch on him.

What he had assumed to be an attack on his Neko, now looked as if the Lashy had been protecting him.

As if the Lashy sensed that Astaroth didn’t form a threat to the Neko, he fell to his knees. Ren yelped and held the boy while trying to stop the bleeding from the many deep cuts.

“As’! Help!” Ren asked, bringing him back to his senses.

Before he knew what he was doing, he stepped closer—keeping a wary eye on the now limb vines on the floor. Kneeling down next to the Lashy and Ren, he reached out his hand towards the Lashy. Immediately a vine snaked around his wrist, strong enough to crush his bones, yet not squeezing. Yet.

He looked pointedly from his wrist into the bright green eyes of the Lashy. “Let go. I’m not going to hurt you, but you will drop the vines. Understand?”

When the Lashy made no move, Ren stepped in. “It’s okay, Kostya. As’s good person. As’ll help.”

The Lashy gave him a long look and the vine slipped away from his wrist. Though his eyes were still wary, he didn’t attack.

Astaroth touched his skin, which was softer than the bark like texture would have you believe and pushed some of his energy into the Lashy. Astaroth healed the worst of his wounds. The vines lying on the ground moved but didn’t attack, and by the time he was done, the vines had retreated from wherever they had come from.

“Want to explain to me what happened? I thought you were safe in our room?” Astaroth asked Ren.

Ren rocked on his haunches, arms wrapped tightly around his knees. “Ren want air. Dogs come, hunt Ren. Now Kostya hurt because of Ren.”

The Neko was as pale as a sheet and shivering violently. Astaroth pulled him close but Ren was too upset and started to hyperventilate.

Focussing on Ren, Astaroth hadn’t noticed the Lashy moving until he felt him brush up beside him, both hands reaching out to cup Ren’s face. He touched his forehead to Ren’s while whispering some incantation. A bright green light originated from where they touched and he could feel Ren go slack against him. The boy’s breathing slowed down and minutes later his heartbeat did too.

“What are you doing to him?!” Astaroth demanded of the Lashy. But the boy was solely focused on Ren.

When he finally pulled back, Ren blinked a few times as if just waking up, and smiled brightly at Astaroth as if nothing had happened.

“What did you do to him?” Astaroth repeated his question, not too sure if it had been something good or bad.

“I took him to the forest. He likes it there. Most creatures do,” the Lashy spoke for the first time.

Ren’s stomach rumbled loudly and Astaroth got back to his feet. “Come on Ren, let’s get you something to eat. You had enough excitement for one day.”

Ren followed him outside when he suddenly halted in in the doorway. “Kostya come with us?”

Astaroth looked back at the lanky boy, now standing at the far wall, hands clasped in front of him as if showing the still edgy guards he had no ill intent. Suddenly he didn’t look all that dangerous.

“He can’t Ren. He’s one of Mercurius’ slaves. He needs to stay here.”

Ren frowned but waved goodbye to the Lashy, getting a small wave in return.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you like my work, you might also like my published novel, Dinner at Dawn. 
> 
> __________________________________________________________________________________________
> 
> Immortality sucks. 
> 
> Eclipse has everything he could wish for, yet when he meets a little street urchin with a big mouth on the verge of death, he can’t help but be intrigued. 
> 
> When street rat Silas finds himself in over his head and in dire need of rescue, he didn’t expect it to turn up in the shape of a sexy vampire. Waking up in an unfamiliar room he learns he’s dead, far from home and that vampires are very real. As Eclipse’s fledgling, he not only needs to acquire a taste for blood, he also needs to navigate his Master’s treacherous world of wealth and power. Not to mention his growing attraction for this dangerous vampire. Forced to choose between his childhood friend and his Master, will his dream of having a family come at too high a price? 
> 
> If you like M/M paranormal fantasy, witty humor, and steamy vampires, don’t miss Dinner at Dawn, the first in the Himura Saga by Mariska Slieker!
> 
> ______________________________________________________________________________________________
> 
> It's available through Amazon, and Kindle Unlimited: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07NHK827F


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ren gets even closer to the Lashy, and Astaroth has his hands full with his little Neko.   
> Time for a much-needed release between all the stress. ;)

**Chapter 5**

 

“That was quite a risk you took today,” Mercurius said later that night when he had come by for some drinks.

“Are you suggesting I can’t handle a young Lashy?”

“He may still be young, that doesn’t make him any less dangerous. Most would say it wasn’t worth the risk for one little Neko.”

Astaroth smiled. Mercurius was right. Most wouldn’t have. But he wasn’t ‘most’. “What can I say, I don’t like others touching what’s mine.”

“Yours? I didn’t see your Mark on him.” Mercurius was referring to the mark of ownership. A mark that would seal a contract and make the bearer of such a Mark a slave. Astaroth didn’t want to make Ren into a slave, therefore technically, he had no rights over him.

“Don’t let the absence of the Mark fool you. He’s mine,” Astaroth stated.

Mercurius chuckled. “I’ll drink to that.”

 

“How did a Lashy ended up in your market?” Astaroth asked.

“Yes, it’s unusual, to say the least. I’ve only had one before, one who was severely wounded. It did not end well; He killed more than a dozen before I turned him loose. I swore I wouldn’t take another, but when the Clan leader of one of the most powerful Lashy Clans wants to sell one of their own… Well, I thought it wise not to refuse.”

Astaroth almost choked on his drink. “His own kind sold him?!”

Most Lashy’s were considered cold, calculating beings, but they were also extremely proud, so to sell your own offspring into slavery?

Mercurius nodded. “Cold-hearted bastard dropped him off, said he was ‘defected’ and didn’t even negotiated on the price. The kid’s been here for two months now, but no one has even shown the least bit of interest in him. Although I have tons of offers lined up for his body parts.”

“Poor kid. You’re not taking those offers, are you?” Astaroth asked to be sure.

Mercurius merely glared at him. He may be a slave dealer, he wasn’t an abuser, nor a murderer.

“Don’t let his looks fool you. They have a calculating nature. They’ll poison you, or slit your throat while smiling to your face. Your Neko should thank his lucky stars he survived his little run in. Of all the cages to run into…”

 

Astaroth contemplated those words. He too had found it odd that Ren had chosen that particular cage.

“Hell, maybe the Lashy lured him to him in the first place,” Mercurius added as an afterthought.

“They can do that?”

Mercurius hauled his shoulder. “No one knows what their powers are, but there are some strong rumors they have significant mind controlling powers.”

“He did do something weird to Ren. He was stressed, and the Lashy touched him and put him under some spell. Next second Ren was all calm again,” Astaroth said, recalling the strange phenomenon he had witnessed right under his nose.

Mercurius huffed. “Then you’d better watch your back. Who knows he may have hypnotized the Neko to kill you in your sleep.”

Astaroth doubted it. The Lashy had gone to great lengths to protect Ren against what he had perceived were people out to hurt the Neko. And then there was Ren himself. The Neko seemed to have a very fine-tuned instinct to determine whether someone was ‘good’ or ‘bad’. Even in a state of panic, and being chased down by dogs, he doubted Ren would have picked that particular cage if he had felt its occupant was ‘bad’.

 

***

 

The next day, Astaroth got back to the room with lunch, only to find it empty. He strolled through the inner garden, a place Ren liked to spend his time in whenever they stayed over. But there was no sign of his Neko there either. Astaroth wasn’t too worried. Ren had probably found a secluded spot in the sun and had fallen asleep or something.

 

After his meeting, he hurried back to the room. The meeting had been long and boring, and his mind had kept wandering to his Neko. In particular, to a certain character trait, he favored, namely his flexibility. Ren could move that delicious body of his in the most sinful of ways. Opening doors to positions he rarely got to indulge in. All throughout the meeting, he had been fantasizing how he would bend his little Neko in such a way that he could watch his own ass being filled with cock; A position they had both enjoyed in the past. Yes, he could use some relief, he thought.

Already loosening his cuffs and the top buttons of his dress shirt, he noticed the silence in the rooms. His grin widened as new thoughts of surprising his sleeping Neko awake with a blow job arose. But the smile dissipated when Ren wasn’t asleep in the bedroom either.

He checked every nook and cranny of the rooms, but Ren wasn’t there.

He ran outside. “Find the Neko!” he ordered the house slaves who Mercurius had assigned to serve them.

He too searched the main house and the inner garden. When he still hadn’t found Ren, he went into the courtyard and the slave pens. Usually, Ren would stay away from there, as it was too crowded for his liking, but he had done so before, so he would check anyhow.

“Astaroth? Have you found him yet?” Mercurius asked, having been notified by his staff.

“No. I’ve checked almost everywhere.”

“My people are searching as well. We’ll find him.” Mercurius said.

 

Half an hour later there was a commotion among the guards, and they ran up to Mercurius.

“Milord, it’s the Lashy, he manag--”

Astaroth didn’t wait to hear the rest and rushed to the far end of the estate where the Lashy was being held. Two more guards were looking and pointing at the cage that held the most dangerous slave on the grounds. He pushed past them only to release a breath he hadn’t known he’d held. Sitting on the floor in the middle of the small cell were Ren and the Lashy. Both with their legs spread wide, feet touching. Ren was giggling as they rolled his small ball between them in the little playing field created by their legs.

“Ren!” What on earth are you doing here?! I was worried.”

Ren looked up smiling if not a little intimidated by the whole group of people. “Dogs woofing all day. Ren didn’t like. Ren visit Kostya. We play,” he said while slipping through the bars to hug Astaroth.

“I was looking all over for you. Besides, you can’t just slip into everywhere,” Astaroth admonished.

He looked over at the Lashy, who had gotten to his feet and stood in the same position he had been in the day before; A submissive gesture, he realized. He nodded to the Lashy. “Thank you for keeping Ren company. I hope he didn’t bother you.”

The Lashy merely nodded in acquiescence, his face solemn and unreadable.

“Let’s go back. Dinner should be ready,” Astaroth said to Ren.

Ren nodded, ears perking at the mentioning of food, but before he followed Astaroth he turned around, slipped back into the Lashy’s cage and hugged the other boy. After a slight tensing in his muscles and a wary look at the guards and Astaroth, the Lashy smiled and hugged Ren back.

 

***

 

“Why is Kostya a slave?” Ren asked around a mouthful of fishcake.

“He was sold by his family,” Astaroth answered.

Ren frowned. He never liked the notion of slavery much, but also knew it wasn’t uncommon either. “Will someone nice buy Kostya?”

Astaroth frowned as well. Seeing how powerful the Lashy was, he would most likely end up either killed for his body parts—They were said to have tremendous magical powers—or would be tortured by a powerful God simply because they could. But he wasn’t about to share that knowledge with Ren.

“I don’t know. For now though, buyers aren’t standing in line for him.”

Ren nodded, satisfied with the non-answer.

 

***

 

After dinner, Astaroth convinced the Neko to take a bath with him by promising him to join him. Soon though, he had the boy moaning on his lap as he stroked the Neko’s cock.

“Hmm, I love those dirty sounds you’re making when I touch you here. Makes me want to do all sorts of dirty things to you,” Astaroth breathed into Ren’s ear.

Ren thrust up into the tight fist around his cock.

“You want me to make you come like this?”

Ren moaned, having trouble to focus on his speech. “As’ inside,” he croaked out.

Astaroth chuckled. “Demanding little thing. Very well, get out of the bath and on the bed. I want your ass raised in the air, cheeks spread wide.”

He didn’t have to repeat it. Sloshing water everywhere, Ren got out as fast as he could, raced over the slippery marble floor and was out of the bathroom before he could count to three.

Astaroth’s cock twitched at the eagerness of his Neko. At a more leisurely pace, he followed the Neko into the bedroom.

 

Ren was already on all fours, ass raised and tail swishing in anticipation. Large emerald eyes glowed in the darkened room, trained on his every move.

“So pretty,” Astaroth commented while stepping closer.

The flames in the fireplace and sconces around the room flared up in reaction to his arousal, painting golden tones on his Neko’s smooth skin.

His cock twitched and he lowered himself onto the bed, hands sliding over the silky expanse of Ren’s back, and finally his ass. Ren mewled, pushing back for more. And Astaroth couldn’t hold back any longer. He slowly entered his little Neko, clenching his eyes shut in order not to come.

 

Over and over, he took them to the edge, tipping them over in wild abandonment, only to start all over again.

 

***

 

Ren was sprawled out on top of him, purring softly in blissful exhaustion.

“Ren play with Kostya tomorrow?” Ren spoke up.

“The Lashy?” Astaroth frowned. “He’s not a playmate, Ren. He’s dangerous.”

Ren pushed himself up so he could glare at Astaroth. “Kostya good people! He said Ren could come.”

Astaroth sighed and let it drop. Perhaps Ren would have forgotten in the morning, or the Lashy would grow tired of him and turn him away.

 

***

 

The next afternoon though, he found Ren once again with the Lashy. When Ren saw Astaroth coming, he said goodbye to the Lashy, and without looking slipped through the bars towards Astaroth.

He was halfway, when the guard dogs caught wind of him and, barking loudly, ran straight for him. Ren froze, too stricken to move.

Astaroth, also alarmed by the dogs, started to make his way over to Ren but realized he would never beat the dogs to it. Astaroth was sure the dogs would rip Ren apart if they got hold of Ren when suddenly vines were everywhere. Some pulled Ren towards, and into the Lashy’s cage, while others attacked the dogs. Several meters from the cage.

Astaroth, having finally reached the cell, rattled the bars. Wary of the vines, but more concerned for Ren.

Ren was yelping and mewling, eyes wild in panic. The Lashy kneeled in front of him, whispering in that strange melodic voice. An earthy smell, tinged with the fragrance of wildflowers permitted the air, and before Astaroth’s eyes, Ren calmed down. Within minutes his breathing evened out and Ren smiled again.

Keeping a wary eye on the Lashy, Astaroth called for Ren. After giving the Lashy a hug, Ren came to him, and they headed back to their rooms. Ren skipping, as if nothing had happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you like my work, you might also like my published novel, Dinner at Dawn.
> 
> __________________________________________________________________________________________
> 
> Immortality sucks.
> 
> Eclipse has everything he could wish for, yet when he meets a little street urchin with a big mouth on the verge of death, he can’t help but be intrigued.
> 
> When street rat Silas finds himself in over his head and in dire need of rescue, he didn’t expect it to turn up in the shape of a sexy vampire. Waking up in an unfamiliar room he learns he’s dead, far from home and that vampires are very real. As Eclipse’s fledgling, he not only needs to acquire a taste for blood, he also needs to navigate his Master’s treacherous world of wealth and power. Not to mention his growing attraction for this dangerous vampire. Forced to choose between his childhood friend and his Master, will his dream of having a family come at too high a price?
> 
> If you like M/M paranormal fantasy, witty humor, and steamy vampires, don’t miss Dinner at Dawn, the first in the Himura Saga by Mariska Slieker!
> 
> ______________________________________________________________________________________________
> 
> It's available through Amazon, and Kindle Unlimited: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07NHK827F


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Astaroth decided to take a chance of the Lashy.

**Chapter 6**

 

“On your knees, monster!” a guard ordered while forcing the Lashy to his knees.

The lanky boy looked ridiculous with all the heavy shackles and restraints on. _T_ _ hey probably have good reason for it _ , Astaroth thought.

 

He had asked Mercurius to have a little chat with the Lashy and his friend had not taken half measure when it came to safety. If the Lashy was surprised to see him, he didn’t show it, merely looked at the ground before him.

Astaroth signaled the guards to give them some privacy and they reluctantly did.

“Your funeral,” one of them mumbled before stepping out.

“You can get up if you want,” Astaroth offered the Lashy.

Though the boy sat up a little straighter, he didn’t stand.

 

Astaroth observed the creature before him. He looked every bit human—apart from his strange colored hair and skin—but he knew the boy shared as much of his genetics with the tree he sprouted from than he did with human genetics. Since Ren had taken such an interest in the Lashy, Astaroth had done some research on the species. Only to learn there wasn’t much to find out about them.

They all sprouted from trees, with which they stayed closely connected their whole lives. Though not immortal, their lifespan far exceeded that of a human. It was when it came to their power that things got hazy. Apparently not all Lashy shared the same power, nor their strength. Their body parts were said to cure almost everything, making them a most wanted commodity. But seeing the markets these days held more fake talismans and potions claiming to be from Lashy, than real ones, it was hard to say whether their healing qualities held any truth. Another common denominator was their control over plants—Astaroth had seen that proved before his very eyes—and mind control.  It was that last part that intrigued and, dare he say, worried him most.

“I want to know what you did to Ren. You put some kind of spell on him and I want to know what it was,” Astaroth said.

The Lashy looked up at him, head cocked. Astaroth had the strange sensation he was being weighed, and he wondered if the boy was trying some kind of mind control trick on him.

When he was sure the boy wouldn’t answer, he did. “I took him to the forest.”

“You took him to the forest?” Astaroth raised his eyebrow.

The Lashy nodded.

“You mean you hypnotized him into believing he was in a forest?”

The Lashy seemed to contemplate that, then hauled his shoulders as if to say he didn’t know.

Getting frustrated Astaroth pushed further. “Then make me understand.”

“When I get scared, I imagine the forest; The essence of the earth and grass, the sound of the leaves in the wind. It relaxes me. So I took Ren there. Let him experience the forest. It relaxed him too. Made him forget his fears.”

Astaroth still didn’t understand the workings but doubted the boy could give him any more of an explanation. “Show me.” The words were out before he could even think them through. Did he really tell a Lashy, one he knew practically nothing about, to use his mind control on him? Without any guards or other security measures?

The Lashy seemed to think along the same lines because his eyes had widened and he once more cocked his head to the side. “You… want me to take you to the forest?” he asked to be sure.

Astaroth nodded.

The Lashy looked around as if he expected some kind of trap, and quite frankly he couldn’t blame him.

“I won’t get punished for doing that?” the Lashy asked doubtfully.

“Not unless you hurt me, or try anything funny,” Astaroth confirmed. “Do you need to touch me or anything?”

The Lashy shook his head, then sighed as he realized he didn‘t have much choice.  _ He’s probably wondering if this will get him killed or— _ Before he could finish the thought, all sound disappeared around him. Instead, he heard the loud rustling of thousands of leaves in the wind, the rich scent of earth after a spring rain permitted his nostrils. He shook his head and checked his surroundings to make sure he was still where he was, but the room was still there. The scent became stronger and now he could hear water trickling from a nearby stream, coaxing him to close his eyes. He deeply breathed in the clean air, feeling himself relax as it entered his lungs. The air was balmy and he could feel the sun on his skin as it shone through the canopy high above. He sat down on the soft moss, lifting his face to the sun, to revel in its warmth. His body was so relaxed, he was seconds away from falling asleep. And then, it was gone. He found himself swaying on his feet, the dangerous Lashy less than three feet from his unprotected body. He stepped back as he refocused on his new surroundings, a little disoriented, but otherwise relaxer than he had in days. The Lashy was looking at him with apprehension clear in his eyes.

“That was—This is what you did to Ren?”

The Lashy nodded. “Except for the rain and water. Ren doesn’t like water.”

Astaroth nodded absentmindedly, not quite sure what to make of the experience, but very aware the Lashy could have killed him if he’d wanted to.

“Can you control minds?”

The Lashy hauled his shoulder. “I don’t think I can. This is easy to break. You did in the beginning too when you looked around the room. But I never tried,” he added as an afterthought.

 

For a moment Astaroth looked at the Lashy, trying to discern what to do. “What do you think of Ren? You’re not bothered by his visits?”

The Lashy looked surprised at the question. “No, Sir. He’s a kind soul. And it’s… nice to talk to someone who’s not terrified of me. I don’t get many visitors.”

Astaroth nodded. From what he’d seen so far, he’d figured as much.

“Ren doesn’t enjoy being here. It’s stressing him out. Unfortunately, my business will tie me here for at least two more weeks. The only place Ren seems to be comfortable around here is with you. For some reason, he‘s attracted to you. You don‘t have anything to do with that by any chance?“

The Lashy merely shook his head. 

“I thought so. But I don’t like him wandering around like he as in order to visit you. How would you feel about staying in our rooms for the time we’re staying here? There will be some security measures that’ll need to be taken, but you’d be free to move around in there.  

The Lashy’s eyes widened in shock. “You would let me out of my cage, to babysit your precious charge? Alone?”

When put like that, Astaroth had to admit it sounded ridiculous, but that was exactly what he had in mind. “Not babysitting, more like keeping him company. Betray my trust and you will come to wish you were never born. But I have a feeling you’re not out to hurt Ren. You had several chances of killing him, yet instead, you protected him.”

 

***

 

A few hours—and a long conversation with Mercurius—later, an entire squadron of heavily armed guards escorted the Lashy to Astaroth’s private rooms. They left him there tied like a hog, barely able to stand upright with all the heavy chains. Making no secret they deemed Astaroth crazy.

“Are you sure about this?” Mercurius asked him for the umpteenth time.

“I am. The whole place is protected by an airlock tight spell harmless to anyone but will burn him to a crisp the second he tries to get out. Another spell is in place to burn him when Ren activates it by a certain word, in case he feels threatened. Don’t worry, we’ll be fine.”

Mercurius nodded reluctantly before leaving them to it.

 

“I’m going to get these shackles and chains off, but I wasn’t kidding about the securities in place. One wrong move and you’ll die. Consider yourself warned,” Astaroth said while untying the Lashy.

“I understand,” was all the boy said while rubbing his chafed wrists after having been in shackles for months.

 

When Astaroth was removing the last chain, Ren stepped into the room, still rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He stopped and blinked when he realized Astaroth wasn’t alone. Then his eyes widened. “KOSTYA!” All lingering sleep evaporated as he ran for the Lashy and hugged him.

Kostya froze, but when he wasn’t incinerated on the spot, he relaxed and hugged Ren back.

“Kostya stay with us?” Ren asked Astaroth.

Astaroth smiled at the happiness in his Neko’s eyes. The boy had rarely smiled since they came here, and he was glad to see him happy again. It solidified the notion he‘d made the right decision in letting the Lashy stay with them for the time being.

“Yes. If you want, Kostya can stay here for our remaining time.” He explained about the safety measures, but Ren seemed too excited to listen.

 

Astaroth settled at the desk to get some work done while Ren took it upon himself to show Kostya around.

 

***

 

A few hours later, Astaroth had to leave for a meeting, and he looked around for the boys. He found Ren asleep in the inner garden. Getting slightly worried about the whereabouts of the Lashy, he was relieved to find him kneeling amidst several large flower pots, tending to them in utmost concentration.

Satisfied, Astaroth left for his meeting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you like my work, you might also like my published novel, Dinner at Dawn.
> 
> __________________________________________________________________________________________
> 
> Immortality sucks.
> 
> Eclipse has everything he could wish for, yet when he meets a little street urchin with a big mouth on the verge of death, he can’t help but be intrigued.
> 
> When street rat Silas finds himself in over his head and in dire need of rescue, he didn’t expect it to turn up in the shape of a sexy vampire. Waking up in an unfamiliar room he learns he’s dead, far from home and that vampires are very real. As Eclipse’s fledgling, he not only needs to acquire a taste for blood, he also needs to navigate his Master’s treacherous world of wealth and power. Not to mention his growing attraction for this dangerous vampire. Forced to choose between his childhood friend and his Master, will his dream of having a family come at too high a price?
> 
> If you like M/M paranormal fantasy, witty humor, and steamy vampires, don’t miss Dinner at Dawn, the first in the Himura Saga by Mariska Slieker!
> 
> ______________________________________________________________________________________________
> 
> It's available through Amazon, and Kindle Unlimited: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07NHK827F

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you all for reading the first chapter of my latest novel. Please leave me a comment about what you liked or disliked!


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